Don Ferguson's Grammar Gremlins: Don't let the facts take over

A man being interviewed recently on television used this expression several times in a short segment. There’s nothing wrong with it, but when repeated often in the same conversation, it loses its effectiveness.

Handbooks say “the fact of the matter” has no justification in writing.

It and several similar phrases are usually used “to fill up space while the speaker thinks of what to say next,” according to one handbook.

Here are some similar expressions: “the fact is” and “as a matter of fact.”

All of these are fine and can often add emphasis in speech, but they should not be overworked.

On a related point, handbooks caution against the use of “true facts,” a redundancy. Example: “The true facts of the incident are not known.” (“Facts” alone would be sufficient.)